


Booby Prize

by Vezarina



Category: Fargo (2014)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2014-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-03 21:06:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1757031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vezarina/pseuds/Vezarina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short story about Wrench and Number's first day together. </p><p>Some swearing but other than that no warnings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Booby Prize

The booby prize. That's what they all called him. He was the joke, the hazing, the rookies first partner, the higher ups idea of a gag. He'd worked with a handful of people during his year on the job, most of which barely lasted over a week. People were impatient, intolerant or out and out offensive. 

Numbers, has he had just been christened, was the new new guy. He was a little older than Wrench, with black hair and dark eyes. He dressed nicely, nicer than most of the other guys, and he clearly cared about the way he looked. He could tell that by his styled hair and managed beard. He stood out. He was being shown around, shaking hands with people and memorising nicknames. Wrench knew he would be meeting him soon and his mood darkened at the idea. 

Sure enough, after a few minutes, he was led over by a higher up. The higher up wasn't even trying to hide the glee on his face as he walked over with a shit eating grin. Numbers didn't seem to notice and gave Wrench a small acknowledging smile. 

'This is Wrench,' said the higher up, 'he'll be your partner.' 

Numbers nodded at Wrench, trying to work out why he looked so pissed off. Dismissing hiscuriosity, he held out his hand and said, 'hey. How's it going.' 

Taking a moment from glaring at the grinning man, he focused properly on Numbers. He gave him a curt nod and shook his hand. The stupid schmuck didn't know what he was in for; he was courteous now but soon he'd been swearing at him, calling him every shit name under the sun and thinking he wouldn't be able to tell.

'All right you guys,' said the higher up with a barely stifled chuckle, 'no time like the present to get to work, right?' 

'Sure,' Numbers shrugged, his eyebrows furrowing slightly when he heard a soft echo of laughter from the entire room. 

Wrench got to his feet and put on his jacket, a fringed suede article that Numbers thought wouldn't look out of place in a cowboy film. The higher up was holding out an envelope which Wrench snatched from him with too much force. He then turned and left, leaving Numbers to catch up. 

'He always like that?' Numbers asked as he buttoned up his own jacket and got ready to follow, already a little pissed off at his partners attitude. 

The higher up just laughed. 'He's a little sensitive. You better go catch up before he leaves you here.'

'Like to see him try,' Numbers scoffed with full confidence. 

The higher up laughed again and slapped Numbers on the back. 'Good luck, mate.'

'Yeah, thanks.' 

Numbers was walking away when the higher up cried out, 'oh wait, I forgot.' Turning, Numbers caught something that he the higher up had thrown. When he opened his hands to see a small notepad and pen, the room erupted into laugher. Now thoroughly confused, Numbers left the room with a brisk walk, embarrassed and a little pissed off. 

It was freezing outside, something that Numbers wasn't quite used to yet. He had never lived this far north before and couldn't remember the last time he had even seen snow, let alone this much of it. He was used to sun; bright golds, greens and blues, but here all he saw was white, white and white. Shivering as the bitter wind hit him, he looked around for his partner. He spotted him in the car which Numbers was glad to see was still here. Stuffing the apparently hilarious notepad into his pocket he cautiously jogged across the ice to the car. 

'What we got?' He asked as he settled into the warmth of the running car. Wrench passed him the open envelope. 'Jamestown,' he read aloud, flicking through the rest of the paper work. He found a small map and tried to get his bearings. 'You know the way or--' His question was answered when Wrench fired up the car and skidded away with such a speed that Numbers genuinely feared they would flip on the ice. 'Jesus man, easy,' he snapped, 'what is your problem?' 

He got no reply, which didn't surprise him but still pissed him off. 'Hey,' he snapped again, 'I said what is your problem?' 

Again he got no response as Wrench focused on the road, his expression just as angry as it had been inside. 

'Fucking asshole…' Numbers muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Glancing at Wrench and seeing he once again got no response, he scoffed and read through all of the job information in the envelope. 

It wasn't that far to Jamestown, just under two hours, but the ride there was awkward and almost completely silent. Numbers had now memorised everything about their job; names, dates, details, anything they would need to know to get their answers. He had decided that if this asshole was going to be the strong silent type he would take up the mantel of the question asker, the leader, the smart one. 

They were passing through Valley City, about the half way point on their journey, when Numbers spotted a rest stop. 'Hey man, pull over.' 

No response. 

'Hey, look, just pull over will you?' He asked again with an exasperated sigh. 

The turning was getting closer and he was still being ignored. 

His temper flaring, he grabbed the wheel and turned it, skidding the car into the turning for the rest stop. Wrench shoved him away, taking control of the car and making sure they didn't crash. He turned and glared at the new guy, gesturing as if to say "what is your problem."

'I told you to pull over!' Numbers yelled in his face. 

Wrench was practically snarling now, his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. Numbers saw his knuckles turning white and he laughed. 'Oh, did that piss you off? Yeah well, same here, _partner_.' 

When he was once again given no reply he scoffed, shook his head and said, his eyes locked with Wrench's, 'you're an asshole, you know that?' Practically kicking open the car door he got out and headed for the gas station. 

He was a few strides away from the car when he was stopped and spun around. He was so mad at first he didn't even notice the strange way Wrench was moving his hands. In fact it wasn't until he stopped and let his hands return to fists did it finally click. 

'Oh my god,' Numbers muttered, looking at the ground and shaking his head. He put his hands on his hips and scoffed once again, looking from the ground to Wrench to the sky. 'Those assholes. Those fucking assholes.' 

Wrench, who seemed to be calming down slightly as well, felt the familiar feeling of his partners epiphany wash over him. 

'Those assholes,' Numbers repeated. He focused on Wrench now, making sure he was looking at him. 'You're deaf?' 

Wrench gave him a "no shit" expression. 

'Assholes,' he said once again. 'Totally deaf? You can't hear me at all?' 

He instinctively signed his response before remembering and nodding. 

'Shit. But you read lips?'

Wrench nodded again. 

'Shit… Well I guess that explains this.' He went into his pocket and pulled out the notepad and pen. 

Wrench rolled his eyes and scoffed when he saw that bloody notepad again. 

With a loud sigh Numbers perched again the front of the car and thought for a moment. Wrench watched him as he moved, his eyes never leaving him. ' Were you ever gonna tell me this, by the way?' 

Wrench shrugged and then shook his head. 

Numbers smirked a little in disbelief, 'you're kidding me? You were gonna let me go into this job without telling me you're fucking deaf?' 

Wrench's hands started to move again as he signed his reply. When he finished Numbers held his hands out as if to say "what??" and Wrench grabbed the notepad from him, scribbling down a translation. 

" _Why should I? I'm sick of this shit. I'm always the butt of their jokes._ " 

Numbers looked at his angry scribble and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He looked at his partner again and said, 'if it helps, they think I'm a joke too.' 

Wrench shrugged a little, signing "that doesn't really help". 

There was another silence as both men took a moment to think. They both knew they were stuck together for at the very least this job and they both felt a little challenged by the higher ups - they were treating them both like a joke and they both wanted to prove them wrong. Wrench didn't usually feel this way because by now the other guy was usually going off on one or making deaf jokes, earning himself a black eye. 

Numbers wasn't like those guys; he had come here to do a job and he was going to do it. His mind whirring, he analysed the situation. He knew he couldn't keep using that damn notepad; it took too long and was way too obvious. As frustrating as it was they had a secret weapon; they had the opportunity to have complete conversations right in front of people. They couldn't do that with notepads. Scanning back through the journey, remembering what he had seen driving through Valley City, he spotted the library on the high street and he decided it was time to start learning.

'Listen man,' Numbers spoke up, waving his hand slightly to make sure he had Wrench's attention, 'if we're going to do this you can't keep shit like this a secret, okay? No more of that.' 

Wrench frowned slightly before nodding. 

'All right then.' He stood up from the car, dusting off the snow from his jacket. 'I'm going to get food, I'm starving. You want something?' 

Wrench shook his head, paused and then signed "thanks". 

Numbers headed towards the gas station when he turned. Wrench, his eyes locked on him, raised his eyebrows expectantly. 

'This is going to be hard work, we both know that. I mean I think this can work but it's not gonna be easy.'

Wrench nodded in agreement. 

'This isn't a normal line of work,' Numbers continued. 'This isn't data input here, you know?' 

Rolling his eyes, Wrench smirked and signed "no shit". 

'I need to know you've got my back.' 

His expression was so earnest that Wrench stopped smiling. 'If I need help, I yell for it. I can't do that with you.' 

He was frowning again but Numbers continued. 'We get separated, we're screwed. You can't see me, we're screwed.' 

Wrench replied with a frustrated nod; he knew all this but it was hard to watch him say it. 

'You've gotta be watching me all the time, okay? We can't split or we're both fucked. Understand?' 

Desperate to try and lighten the mood so he could stop thinking about what he already knew, Wrench widened his eyes as much as he could to show he would always be watching and signed, "I got it". 

Numbers smirked a little but was still serious. This was either going to be the best idea he's ever had, or the worst. Right now he had a choice to make, they both did, and they had both already made it.

'All right, smartass, let's go to work.'

 

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fanfiction in several years so I might be a little rusty but this is a little idea I couldn't get out of my head. 
> 
> Apologies for any spelling mistakes, this was written fairly quickly.


End file.
